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The pillow beside Ranpo was cold for the third morning in a row. The sun had just started to peek through the blinds by the time he woke up, and on most mornings he would have been happy to simply curl up and fall back asleep.
That would have been the case for that morning too, had his boyfriend been asleep beside him. But across the room was the telltale sound of pen scratching against parchment, and the dim desk lamp illuminating the workspace. And with the bedding so cold beside him, Ranpo could only come to one conclusion:
Poe had pulled yet another all-nighter.
Ranpo yawned and untangled himself from the sheets as he got up. Sure enough, Poe was hunched over his desk scribbling away furiously. His next novel was sure coming along, but it was no doubt at the expense of Poe’s sleep and self care. His clothes were rumpled, and his hair unkempt.
Ranpo lazily slid his arms around Poe’s shoulders, causing his partner to jump slightly at the touch, his pen slipping on the paper and leaving a thin trail of ink over the page.
“Oh-! G-good morning Ranpo,” Poe greeted nervously. His voice had a note of guilt to it as he carefully pushed his book aside.
Ranpo hummed and rested his chin on Poe’s shoulder. “You promised you were going to come to bed last night,” He complained.
“I- I got inspired,” Poe defended quietly. “Though I didn’t mean to stay up all night.” When he turned around to glance at his boyfriend, Ranpo noticed the dark circles under his eyes, heavier than normal. Naturally, several sleepless nights in a row would do that to a man.
Ranpo just sighed, unwrapping an arm from around him. He drew a hand to Poe’s face and gently pushed his hair back, running his thumb lightly over his cheek. His loving touch immediately drew a blush from Poe. “You look exhausted.”
“I’m fine, really I-”
Ranpo let out a light laugh and let go of his boyfriend. “No you’re not. I can’t be letting you write all the time if you’re going to stop taking care of yourself.”
“I ah...” Poe trailed off, his face going a deeper shade of pink as Ranpo swiveled his chair around so they were facing one another. No matter how long they’d been dating for, Ranpo would always have that uncanny ability to fluster him with the smallest little affectionate touch.
“Now come on,” Ranpo encouraged, gently taking Poe’s hands. “Your novel isn’t going anywhere. You need a break.”
As much as Poe would’ve liked to argue and continue on writing, he simply couldn’t resist Ranpo. Sighing lightly, he let Ranpo pull him up to his feet. He realized when the ground seemed to dip underneath him, that it was the first time he’d stood up in hours.
Ranpo noticed Poe’s struggle to stay upright and slipped one arm around his waist to keep a more supportive hold on him. “You okay, Ed?” He asked.
“I’m fine, I promise,” Poe reassured him.
Although still a little unconvinced, Ranpo guided him over to the end of their bed where he sat Poe down. “Well I’ll take good care of you, ‘kay?”
Poe just nodded as he sank down onto the edge of the mattress. Whatever Ranpo had in mind as no doubt in his best interest anyhow.
Ranpo let go of him again once he was settled, and headed over to Poe’s dresser. He shuffled through a few loose belongings that sat on top until he found a comb that didn’t seem to be used too often.
When Ranpo came back with the comb in hand, he noticed Karl had jumped up into Poe’s lap. The writer was running his fingers tiredly through the raccoon’s short fur. Ranpo couldn’t tell if Poe was lost in thought or just plain tired, but knowing him it could easily have been both.
“Even Karl knows you need a break,” Ranpo teased, seating himself beside Poe. He shuffled in closer to him so he was sitting up on his knees and started to run his comb gently through Poe’s hair.
Poe jumped slightly at the contact, but quickly settled again. He rarely combed or fixed up his hair properly, so the feeling was a little unfamiliar, but it felt nice the way Ranpo did it.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Taking care of him shouldn’t have been Ranpo’s responsibility in the first place. He should have been able to care for himself, and surely Ranpo had something better to be doing. At least that’s what Poe thought anyways.
“Ranpo,” he managed quietly. “You really don’t have to do this.”
Ranpo just shrugged, moving behind Poe to start working out the back of his hair as well. “I know I don’t.”
“Then why are you?”
“You deserve to be taken care of, you know.”
“...Not by you I don’t.”
Sighing, Ranpo set the comb back down beside him. He slipped his arms around Poe’s waist, pulling him into a gentle hug from behind. He rested his head against Poe’s back. “I love you, Ed. You do know that, right?” His soft voice was muffled by the fabric of Poe’s jacket.
Poe’s face went warm. “O-of course I know that- I just…” he trailed off.
“Sometimes you just need someone else to take care of you,” Ranpo assured him. “And if I didn’t want to be that someone, then I wouldn’t be. It’s simple.”
Poe knew it was true. Ranpo wouldn’t do something like that if he himself didn’t want to.
He’s really doing this for me , isn’t he? Poe thought. He smiled to himself at the realization.
Ranpo lifted himself off Poe and resumed combing in his gentle and rhythmic motions. “You shouldn’t feel bad.”
They fell into a comfortable quiet for a few minutes as Ranpo got up so he could stand in front of Poe to comb out his overgrown fringe. Poe always wore his hair sweeping down over his forehead, long enough to shield his eyes. Ranpo took the opportunity of combing out his hair to push it back properly, parting his hair down the middle and tucking it back behind Poe’s ears.
For a moment, he just admired him with his full face exposed, putting one hand on his cheek and studying him with an affectionate gaze. His eyes were a lovely shade of greyish purple, his skin soft, flushed, and pale, and even the dark circles had a beauty to them.
If Poe wasn’t blushing madly before, he was right then when Ranpo leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose.
“There,” Ranpo said, taking a step back. “You’re looking better already.”
Poe smiled to himself and bowed his head down slightly. His hair fell back into his eyes again, sweeping over his forehead in its typical way. Karl who had been sitting patiently in his lap crawled back up to perch on his shoulder.
Poe shifted in place, grateful to have his face covered protectively again. “Ranpo?” he asked softly.
Ranpo tipped his head inquisitively. “Hm?”
“I ah…” he trailed off, his voice a shy whisper. “I-I love you too.”
Ranpo shook his head and beamed, crawling back up onto the bed beside him.
He gently wrapped his arms around Poe once more, falling back with him onto the mattress so he could properly cuddle up to him with his head rested on the writer’s chest.
“I know you do.”